Pip

I get stage fright sometimes. Sometimes I just step out and do my thing without a trace of fear, but sometimes it sneaks up on me and pounces! If it hasn't happened after say a minute on stage, I'm safe, but I can go from 100% on top of things to "Whoops where did my brain go?" in the blink of an eye. It happened today, when I was supposed to speak in front of the class. I had the speech outlined in my head, had made a mental image of myself giving it and all, but when I stepped up and started talking everything just... dissapeared. The professor (a bona fide English gentleman) saved me from total humiliation by explaining about something while I got my brain back online.

Amen. Usually I don't "sense" the audience, it's like they're behind a glass wall, but there was one time when their response was so enthusiastic it broke through. It was like being washed over by a massive wave of love and admiration. Priceless.